Little Group has been Christmas mad this last week.  They have been making Christmas Cards using various craft materials and card, making Santa decorations to hang on the tree, paper chains that have been wrapped around the tree in the foyer, designed a new christmas jumper, for which there was one lucky winner, and also made some really delicious brownies that were supposed to be cut into tree shapes, but we just ate them in squares. 
There were also lots of Christmas Themed games to play as well, including four corners, with Elf, Tree, Holly and Santa as the areas, and a Christmas Treasure Island on the whiteboard. 

Middle Group Has been keeping the christmas theme down until the final week so as not to overwhelm the children.  They have been doing lots of hall games, like Sharky Sharky, tig and some dancing and bowling.
They have also made Brownies (when do they not bake?) and they were really good. 
The children have been begging to have facepaint tattoos for a while, and they have got what they asked for.  There were some interesting designs, with one child having an octopus on her cheek.

​Big Group have been really busy with lots of craft and games.  They have all had a try at some pixel art, focusing on repeating patterns for wrapping paper, and some chrismas pictures, lots of them decided to try reindeers and santa. 
There was also some bingo in the kitchen, which, if you happened to pass thorugh, you'll have noticed it was a very noisy bingo, but they all had a great time, Ryan managed to somehow turn it into a competetive sport. 
In the hall, the children have played some favourites, like dodgeball, wollop the cone and 1 on 1 football.  
Back in big group room, some of the children have had a go at making some christmas cards or decorations, with free reign of the craft area. 

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Had no time for updates last week so here is a double dose!

The children in Little group have been planning and writing up their own sessions, and they have chosen to make rainbows!  They used paint to make them and then mounted them on the window in the End Room. 
They have also been into junk modeling, making lots of different objects, and some hve requested to make robots. 

There have been lots of physical activities going on with football in the hall, music games, four corners and time bomb.  There have also been lots of board games and card games played in a group, like Uno which is ver popular, and also colouring in and playing theor own snakes and ladders game.  

On the white board, the children have been playing some Christmas Themed Treasure Island and in the kitchen, making Tree shaped bisuits, and chocolate cakes. 

Gearing up for Christmas, the children have helped decorate the end room and the tree in the foyer and will be continuiing to make decorations throughout the comming weeks. 

Middle Group have also been realling into christmas making snowball pompoms, christmas cards, and started making their own advent callendar.  They have also been doing some themed painting and colouring competitions, along with some more general sessions, like facepaint tattoos, sharkey sharkey in the hall and going to the park. Middle group wouldn't be the same without some baking, and they made some snowmen shaped shortbread biscuits with chocolate drop buttons.  Yummy. 

Big Group have been doing lots of team games, with Stool Ball, Ladders, Capture the bib, and football.  They have also played dodgeball and parachute games.  So loads of physical stuff!

They have also played other games they love like Mr and Mrs, Higher or Liar,  Who am I? and Mafia.  

They also did some painting, where there were some genuinely beautiful pieces of art. 

So that's the end of a bust two weeks.  Countdown to Christmas now!

Little group spent all week concentrating on Children in Need by making lots of posters for the cake sale on Friday, and baking lots to sell. 
There has been lots of excitement for this day and they have really pulled out all the stops. 
Middle group have also been baking lots for the cake sale and have been making banners and bunting for the building.  
All in we raised £30 for Children in Need which is fantastic, so a big thankyou to all parents for any donations you gave, we hope you and your children really enjoyed your cakes and biscuits!

Middle group have also been doing regular sessions, such as dodgeball in the hall, and capture the flag outside; both really popular games. 
They have also been playing some whiteboard games in the end room, like hangman and pictionary, and also a giant pudsy bear collage to go with the rest of the decorations. 

Big Group have been very busy playing lots of team games, both physical and mental.  They have played dodgeball in the hall, football, and running games. They have also brought out the parachute again and played sharks and lifguards and cat and mouse.  They also played a game Ryan made up called Stageball wich some parents had to wait for their children to finish so they could go home.  Very competitive, very fun.   
Many of bog group asked for Pixel Art which is hugely popular, all that's needed is squared paper. We also provide them with lots of example pictures as well to copy from or ammend. 

Another team game they love is higher or liar.  Ryan has found some new cards that to broaden the ammount of questions to ask, like, how many chess pieces can you name in 30seconds, or parts of a car etc.  

As it was quiet on Friday, Ryan got out the PS4 so they could play Rayman, a 4 player game that they have to work together to complete the level.  While some wanted to help with the cake sale, drumming up buisness. 

Once again, thanks for reading, please leave a comment!

After having the fireworks demonstration at the castle the weekend before, the children were all talking about fireworks.  Then, as I'm sure you heard, there have been fireworks most nights all last week.
So, due to this, and to keep with the children's interests, the children have been partaking in crafts and games related to bonfire night. 

Little Group Have been discussing bonfire night and talking about staying safe, and having fun.  There were a few ways that the children already knew about when being safe with sparklers, for example, and one of those is to stick the sparkler in a fat carrot and hold that.  This means that it is further from your hand, and nice and thick to hold.
They have also making firework pictures using various media; chalks, felt tips and coloured paper. Clare has also played 'find the firework' as a whiteboard game.  The children have to choose a grid reference and then Clare will reveal if there is a firework in that square or not.  There are 3 to find. 
Continuing the theme, Clare and the children made rockets of their own using cardboard tubes and tissue paper for the streamers and also Firework painting using bright colours and sponges to apply the paint.
On top of all this, there were lots of games in the hall, colouring sessions joined up with middle group when it was quiet, and preparing for children in need week, by colouring Pudsy Bear, and designing biscuits. 

Middle Group have continued the theme as well with firework drawings using chalk, and some autumn colouring pictures, where the children were limited to using only browns, oranges, yellows and reds.  This was done to create a piece of art that really reflected the season.
Middle group have also been getting ready for children in need by doing some colouring pages around the event, and making their own Pudsy bear pictures.  
In the hall, they have been playing Elephants in the long grass, which always involves lots of running, capture the flag, and also a trip to the park nextdoor. 
The group was also lucky enough to make rice crispy cakes using melted marshmallows.  They were extremely sticky, but tasted good. 

Big Group had the best start to the week, when they baked a cake!  A proper Victoria Sponge, complete with jam and cream.  Ryan was mostly pleased with himself as that was the first time he had ever baked a cake. It didn't taste half bad!
They have also done a group favourite of junk modeling, and the new favourite game - Higher or Liar.
In the hall, they have been playing elephants in the long grass, which was joined with middle group, and also 4 corners and some dodgeball.
Big group also tested their artistic skills this week in portraits of their friends.  Some of the artists were very pleased with themselves, the one's being drawn, however...
Big group also played a rapid game of Beetle Drive, which is always a frantic game to play but lots of fun. 

There has been lots going on this week, especially with Halloween, so we were able to do some themed sessions. 

Little Group to begin with, 
They have been playing 'find the pumpkin' where they took it in turns to hide a pumpkin picture in the end room, and then they all had to come back in a find it.  During the same session, they also had a 'best drawing' competition which is something they ask for every week. 

The whole group also came together to make a large collage of a witches hat, which they then displayed on the wall in the kitchen for all the others to see, and also there for the Halloween disco they had at Youth Club on a Thursday. 

They have also been taking part in some Halloween colouring, designing pumpkin faces, playing Halloween themed games both on the whiteboard and in the hall, and dancing to spooky music. 

Little group were very lucky to make some biscuits in the shapes of pumpkins to take home, too. 

Middle Group have also been doing some colouring competitions involving Halloween pictures, making friendship bracelets using different coloured wool, string and twine, and also took part in making a large collage piece to display on the wall.  They made a giant pumpkin!

Michaela also had the children on a treasure hunt around the building, finding clues to lead them to the next spot, and then at the end, a bounty of sweets!

Middle group were also lucky enough to make some biscuits, and iced them with a bright orange colour to make them look more pumpkin like. 

In the hall, they have done some big team games, like capture the flag, dodgeball and benchball, really concentrating on working together. 

Big Group will tell you that the best thing they did this week was Beanboozle Challenge.  Spin the wheel, and pick a jelly bean with the choice of something nice, or nasty.  Some of the flavours were bubblegum or toothpaste, vomit or vanilla, catfood or cola.  The children absolutely love it.  

They also played a game of forfeit treasure island, where if you get certain squares on a grid reference, you had to do a forfeit, usually of something like eat some brown sauce.  Again, they love this kind of thing. 

Big group got creative and did some day of the dead skull designs, using pictures to reference and create their own.  There were some fantastic designs in there. 

They have also been very active playing lots of football at free choice times, as well as a session, and bringing back parachute games! They loved playing parachute games, something we haven't done in big group for a long time, but they had so much fun.  

They have also been obsessed with ghost stories, and had Joe telling some to the older ones of local haunts, and the children shared some of their experiences, too.  

All in all, a very busy week considering we only started on Tuesday!

October half term started on Friday for us, and since then we've been very busy.  There has been lots of baking, with some groups making Rice Crispy cakes, and another group making their own version of a Jammie Dodger biscuit.  
We have had lots of sport sessions, with football being a favourite, both inside and out.  
Uno, the card game has also featured pretty heavily.  Lots of the children love it, and so does Michaela and Clare! 
Chess is still something that children enjoy playing at free choice time, and some of them have been teaching the rules of the game to others as well, which is really nice to see. 
Big and Middle group have made lots of really nice colouring pictures, and also had some drawing competitions, while Little group made collages and paper planes to play with. 
One of the children have brought in a mini monopoly board game, which has attracted the attention of some of the older children, and Joe had a group of children from little, middle and big helping complete a Where's Wally Jigsaw. 
Michaelas group have been outside to collect leaves to make an Autumn collage with some autumn coloured paints as well. 
Middle group have also joined with Big group to do a favourite activity of Pixel Art, using squared paper and some pixel ideas that they can copy.  This seems to entertain everyone.  Even the ones who aren't interested in making any kind of art, somehow Pixel art overcomes them all. 

There has been more craft sessions towards the end of this week, with both Middle and Little group making large artwork of a giant bat using tissue paper and paint, and another of a giant pumpkin using similar materials. 
All the children have been keen to use lots of our colouring pages, and just recently, we have added lots of Superhero ones for them to complete.  
Big group have been playing some competitive dodgeball with a variant of King and Queen.  Each team chooses a VIP in the team  who will then wear a marker, and if they get hit, the whole team is out. It's up to the others to protect, and attempt to get the opposing teams VIP.  This game brings out some interesting tactics to win. 

As a treat today, the children had an option to watch a film, and they all chose The Little Rascals.   Anyone who didn't want to watch had the options of lots of different board games, colouring, free drawing or pool.
  
If you have recently taken part in our survey and realised that this blog is here, please leave a comment and say hello! This is here so that you can get more of an understanding of what goes on here with your children, and it's a platform for you to tell us what they like to do at home, that maybe we can roll into our own planning too. 
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A lot has been going on since being back at Kids Club and everyone has settled into their new groups well.  Little group has been great with all the new children from Reception, but since most of them have been coming over the summer holidays, they already knew what was in store.  Middle group has settled with their new leader Michaela, who has been doing lots of physical sessions with them, including dance, sports and group games like charades. 
Big group is very big! Ryan has been doing a fantastic job with them, often having two sessions running at once so that everyone has something to do.  It does mean, though that the sports sessions are always great with so many participating.

Some of our new parents have asked about what sessions are, and the types of things we make the children do.  Well, we never make the children do the sessions, but we do encourage them to join in.  If they don't want to, then they can find something else to do in the room that they are in.  Some of the big group children like to get a book and read, and little group are happy to get the train set out.  Our main objective for kids' club is that all the children are safe and happy.  

The types of sessions we do varies week to week, with Little group following the same interests as school is doing in Reception, and Middle and Big planning with the children so that everyone gets a say in what they want to do.  We have a good mix of sports, games, cooking and baking, arts and crafts, with opportunities to go to the park and playground to just play and run around.  

I'll try and get back into keeping this blog up to date along with photos, meanwhile, please leave a comment, or just tell Joe you've read the blog.  It would be nice to know I'm not just talking to myself.

Welcome back,
Sorry there haven’t been any updates over the summer holidays, we’ve been really busy.
Since we’ve been back, we have had a new member of staff start!
I’m sure you’ve all already met Michaela, she’s our new middle group leader!  She has already made herself at home and taken middle group to be her own. 
There has been lots of change in the groups as well with children moving up in their classes at school, which also means that they move up in groups here as well.  Little group is Reception and Year 1.  Middle group is Year 2 and 3 and Big group is Years 4,5 and 6. 
Already, there have been loads of fun sessions, including some new ones!  Michaela has introduced a hall game called Captains Coming, where the children have to listen to different instructions, and not be the last one to do it.  Such as, scrub the deck: all the children drop to the floor and scrub it!
Big group have been doing lots of pixel art, something that really settles them all down.  They have also done some of the old favourites, like Mafia and A-Z quiz.
Ryan has also introduced a game called Higher or Liar.  Two children against each other, take it in turns to guess how many of a certain category they can do.  If the other child thinks they can do more, then they think of a higher number, if not, they call the other a liar, and then they have to do it.  They have 30 seconds.
Lots of time spent on the park and outside this week, making the most of the random sunny weather, so lots of Capture the Flag, Spanish Tig and football.
All three groups have talked about the rules to follow while at Kids’ Club and come up with them together so that they all agree, and all understand.
Little group have made a special tree for their room with all the children’s handprints on it for ownership of their group.
All three groups have baked since we’ve been back, some better than others, and all have played some big group games and lots of creative activities too. 
Busy days!
 

​Lots of fun and exciting things have happened this week that I’m bound to have forgotten some of the things we’ve done.
First of all, we’d like to welcome all the new children and staff to our Summer Playscheme! Lots of children from Moorside Kids Club have joined us, as well as the staff there to coordinate a big playscheme.  This is a great opportunity for children to develop new friendships, and rekindle old ones for the children who may only see each other every summer.
We’ve made the most out of the lovely warm weather we’ve been having with lots of sessions outside, including Stool Ball, Football matches, running games and the park next to the club.  We have also been on a trip to the local park nearby in Fairfield.  We use the cycle tracks, so it is a really nice and safe walk to the park, then there is loads of space for the children to play. We have also had games of rounders out on the field and dodgeball in the hall.  So, lots of physical games this week.
We have also been taking part in lots of craft activities, like making Forkie from the new Toy Story film, making group signs with paint and our handprints, and also coming up with rules for the group to follow.
Some groups have also been playing Pictionary, we have large whiteboards we can use to play many games on and this is always a hit. We have also had games of Mr and Mrs where friends sit back to back and they have to agree on questions asked to get a point, such as “who is the funniest?”
In the hall, we have been playing different parachute games!  Each group have played different games, like Sharks and Lifeguards, Fruit Salad and Popcorn.  The hall has also been used for an energetic game called All Over, where hundreds of little ball pool balls are scattered and two teams face each other to push and throw as many ball over to the other side of the hall as possible.
Little group have been doing lots of painting on different materials, and they made some great art on large paper plates.  They have also been making art on the playground with floor chalks.
Some groups have made the most of the kitchen and have baked some cupcakes! This is a great session for children to have a go at baking and helping with all the different instructions, and then they get to have a treat at the end!
We were very lucky this week to be invited to join the Youth Group that is running at the same time as our club in another part of the building as they were having a Bug Roadshow.  Lots of different creepy crawlies and reptiles were brought in for the children to hold, stroke or look at from a distance as was the case for some of the children. There were snakes, snails, cockroaches, tarantulas, stick insects.  Take a look though the photos below!

​Lots of big sessions we’ve had these past two weeks, with a number of them joining up to have bigger games of rounders and capture the flag.  We have made use of the park, as usual, which is especially nice in the weather we have been having, and it gives some of the children some time to play with friends that are on the park with their parents.  We have also joined Big and Middle group when it was quiet to have a game of Stool Ball in the hall, which is a staff favourite to play.
There have been lots of games played as well during free choice and also spilling into some sessions.  The number one choice at the moment has been the card game Uno! Which has had children from all groups and staff taking part, certainly a crowd pleaser. We’ve also had many more chess sessions and also multiple games of charades.
Big group have had games of Mafia, (think wink murder, but with more narrative) which has been a hit, and middle group have been playing Bingo!
Little group have been keeping up with the children’s interests and have made their own versions of Forkie from the now Toy Story film.
Big group have been making friendship bracelets with wool and string, and some have also made book marks.  There has been painting just using black and a stippling effect to creature shade and texture to the paintings, and they have also had a go at creating some cubism style painting as well with a bit of a twist. 
Some children wanted to continue pixel art and others have been making their way through our big group library that is in their room. 
Middle group have been making paper aeroplanes along with some of middle group, and big group managed to get involved with it also. 
As usual, cakes have been made in middle group with Alison which looked amazing!
On the last day of term, we have kept things nice and relaxed.  Many of the children have brought in their own toys as it was toy day at school, Ryan is leading a pool session and there is also the PS4 out for the children to take turns with, not to mention the rest of the usual activities we have out anyway.  If the children want to, they can make music requests as we have brought the speakers in to play some music while they play.
One last note,
We are sorry to say that Alison is leaving us to go onto her new job.  She doesn’t want to make a fuss and so hasn’t told anyone, but today will be her last day.  We wish her luck and all the best, and she will be missed here at Kids Club.
Alison will be returning with her children, so at least we will still see her in some capacity!!
That’s it for After School Club until September, but there should be updates for the Summer Holidays, so stay tuned!